• Voice Disorders• Motor Speech Disorders• Voice Typing• Fluency• Selected Articulation Training• Hearing-Impaired Speech• Professional Voice• Accent Reduction and Second Language Learning

APPLICATIONS

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Overview

Visi-Pitch IV is the latest version of the most widelyused clinical instrumentation tool for speech-language pathologists. Encompassing the many

features of previous generations of this acclaimed speech therapy tool, Visi-Pitch IV provides the latest, state-of-the-art, high-fidelity hardware for robust dataacquisition and playback. As a clinical tool, Visi-Pitch IVoffers clinicians an unmatched assortment of powerfulmethods to assess and treat their clients.

Since its introduction in 1978, Visi-Pitch has becomean indispensable tool in speech clinics worldwide. Itsreputation has been earned by highly reliable performanceand a versatile set of features. With eight standard modules, Visi-Pitch IV can be used with virtually everytype of communication disorder in both assessment andtherapy tasks. Critical speech and voice parameters areextracted and displayed in true real time to help clientsachieve therapy goals with visual feedback. Protocol-driven assessment tasks provide clinicians with valuableobjective data using parameters that are well documentedin the professional literature. In addition to visual feedbackand analysis of important speech/voice parameters, Visi-Pitch IV also provides multiple auditory feedback tools(based on the KayPENTAX Facilitator) that complementthe visual feedback offered by other modules.

Visi-Pitch IV helps clinicians objectively track patientprogress and assists with the important goal of evidence-based clinical practice. Visi-Pitch IV analysis sophisticationhas been implemented without sacrificing ease of use forwhich the Visi-Pitch family has always been lauded.Clinicians new to the Visi-Pitch system are “up and

running” in a matter of moments after system installation.

Importance of Speech BiofeedbackVisi-Pitch IV extracts acoustic parameters (e.g., pitch,

amplitude, and spectral characteristics) duringspeech/voice production and presents these in real time,providing clients with clear, intuitive visual displays.Using target vocalizations provided by a clinician, clientattempts can be directly compared both graphically andwith auditory playback. Monitoring importantspeech/voice behaviors with concrete visual displays helpsclients reach therapy goals more easily.

Extensive Measurements ofSpeech and Voice Behavior

To help objectify a client’s baseline performance andsubsequent change, Visi-Pitch IV extracts an extensiverange of measurements relevant to speech and voice. Inaddition to fundamental frequency, amplitude, andspectral measurements, Visi-Pitch IV contains moduleswith tasks and concomitant parameters specific to disorders(e.g., dysphonia and motor speech problems). Theseparameters are displayed graphically and summarizedquantitatively; both sets of information can be used inclient reports.

REAL-TIME PITCH

A key module of Visi-Pitch IV is Real-Time Pitch, whichdisplays fundamental frequency and relative intensity inreal time. Stress, timing, intonational patterns, as well astarget pitch and/or amplitude values during runningspeech can be seen as they are said by the client. Split screens allow target vocalizations to be compared to a client’s attempt to imitate critical parameters (e.g., amplitude levels, speech rate, pitch range, etc.). Thetarget and the client’s attempt can then be compared

Real-Time Pitch allows clients to monitor pitch and ampli-tude as they speak. Speech productions can be comparedboth graphically (using split screen) and quantitatively.

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visually and quantitatively; high-fidelity audio playbackallows the clinician and client to listen critically to impor-tant speech/voice behaviors.

VOICE GAMES

The Voice Games module provides animated graphics torepresent the same parameters (i.e., pitch and amplitude)extracted in Real-Time Pitch. The games are particularlyeffective as therapy tasks for motivating children andrewarding good speech/voice behavior. Each game can bemodified by the clinician to make a task more or lesschallenging, depending on the child’s level ofperformance.

REAL-TIME SPECTROGRAM

The spectrogram has been a benchmark analysis tool of speech signals for over a half-century because of its innovative, revealing, three-dimensional display. The real-time performance of Real-Time Spectrogramallows it to be used for selected articulation training(sample protocols are provided) and for voice “typing” of

dysphonic voices as recommended by the NationalCenter for Voice and Speech (NCVS).

MOTOR SPEECH PROFILE

Primarily an analysis tool, Motor Speech Profile assesses,in depth, the speech performance of patients with motorspeech problems (i.e., dysarthria).

Distinct tasks are elicited in systematic protocols (withmessage prompts) to help profile the patient’s perform-ance and identify potential motor speech problems;results of each task are quantified and graphed against anormative database. For example, a task for analyzingsecond formant transitions is sensitive in tracking vowelneutralization often observed in dysarthric patients;similarly, diadochokinetic rate and periodicity have beenshown to be closely associated with articulatory agility. Aswith all Visi-Pitch IV parameters, the data can be includedin a report summarizing patient performance.

MSP parameters are sensitive to various aspects ofdysarthric speech. This display analyzes second formanttransitions which are frequently diminished in patientswho neutralize vowels.

Selected articulation therapy can be accomplished with theReal-Time Spectrogram module. The protocol above isfor /r/ training.

Games are used to motivate children in therapy with visuallyappealing graphics representing important speech/voiceparameters.

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MULTI-DIMENSIONAL VOICE PROGRAM (MDVP)

MDVP extracts objective quantitative values onsustained phonation, which are displayed graphically andnumerically in comparison to built-in normative data.These are useful in profiling a patient’s voice before andafter surgery or voice therapy and complementstroboscopic, aerodynamic, and other methods used toassess the patient’s voice.

MDVP is the most frequently cited program in profes-sional journals for analyzing sustained phonationbecause of its robustness and accuracy with both normaland dysphonic voices. Other programs calculate some ofthe MDVP parameters, but many of them do not hold upwell when presented with dysphonic voices. MDVP hasbeen tested and run on thousands of voice patients andhas come to be viewed as a standard acoustic analysismethod in voice clinics internationally. An optionalCD-ROM of some 700 normal and pathological cases isavailable from KayPENTAX to help familiarize clinicianswith acoustic profiles of various disorders.

WAVEFORM EDITOR

This module is a convenient tool for speech waveformacquisition, editing, and playback. Selected portions of aspeech sample can be edited and saved to disk. TheWaveform Editor can also be used for dual-channel dataacquisition. For example, a speech sample can be acquiredwith KayPENTAX’s electroglottograph signal in the secondchannel.

AUDITORY FEEDBACK TOOLS

Auditory Feedback Tools (AFT) is a highly usefulmodule for critical listening feedback (using head-phones) and various types of auditory feedback that havebeen found to be effective in achieving desired speechbehaviors. A key premise of AFT is the seminal role of auditory feedback in speech therapy. Included arehigh-fidelity amplification, looped playback of selectedspeech tokens (e.g., word, phrase, or sentence level),Delayed Auditory Feedback (DAF), white-noise masking,speech-rate modification (e.g., prolonging an acquiredutterance without altering its pitch on playback), anda metronome pacer. Most of these tools are a subset offeatures provided in the KayPENTAX Facilitator, whichcontains five modes of auditory feedback in a portable(wearable) instrument.

• True real-time displays for visual feedback ofcritical speech/voice parameters

• Robust hardware for high-fidelity speechacquisition and playback

• Direct DAT input (without redigitization)

• Eight separate modules applicable across thespectrum of disorders

• Innovative graphic displays and quantitativemeasurements

• Auditory feedback tools (based on the KayPENTAX Facilitator)

• Vowel and sibilant training

• Single keystroke operation of commonly usedprotocols

• Games and graphic rewards to motivate childrenin therapy

• Numeric summaries of client performance for reports

FEATURES

The MDVP graph provides a useful snapshot of the client’svoice quality. Client performance (olive/red) is plotted againstnormative data (green) that is built into the software.

An array of auditory feedback tools is provided to helpclients attain therapy goals. High-fidelity feedback ismonitored through the headphones.

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SONA-MATCH

Multiple innovative displays of the spectral patterns ofsustained phonation (e.g., vowels and sibilants) areoffered with the Sona-Match module. These are particu-larly useful for articulation training, second-languageacquisition, and the singing voice. Sona-Match displaysthese spectral parameters in real time so that it can beused in therapy for visual feedback or as a teaching tool.

Visi-Pitch IV HardwareThe Visi-Pitch IV hardware environment meets most of

the exacting demands of the NCVS with over 80 dBdynamic range, two channels of input, excellent low-noise/high-fidelity input with an external hardwaremodule for signal conditioning. The external hardwareprovides convenient access to connectors and controls foradjusting input levels during speech input. DAT playerscan be connected to the hardware for direct inputwithout redigitizing the signal. A special Voice RangeProfile (VRP) switch was designed into the Visi-Pitch IVexternal hardware module to provide absolute amplitudemeasurements. (VRP software is optional.) Additionally,Visi-Pitch IV is supplied with a quality microphone,headphones for critical listening, and a high-fidelityspeaker. With the exception of the host computer (seerequirements), Visi-Pitch IV is a complete hardware/software system with matched components for excellentperformance.

Optional Programs for Visi-Pitch IVAdditional programs are available for Visi-Pitch IV.

These include the Voice Range Profile (VRP) program(Model 4326), the Real-Time EGG Analysis program(Model 5138), and an extensive database of some 700disordered voice samples on the Disordered VoiceDatabase and Program (Model 4337). Separate fliers onthese programs are available from KayPENTAX.

Sona-Speech II for Sound CardsThe software designed for Visi-Pitch IV is also available as

a product called Sona-Speech II that works in conjunctionwith generic sound cards (e.g., SoundBlaster). Sona-Speech II is purchased without Visi-Pitch IV hardwareand is, therefore, less expensive and may be ideal for thebudget-minded clinician. Given the variability andspecification limitation of most sound cards for speechacquisition, Sona-Speech II is generally not recommendedfor research applications. A separate brochure on Sona-Speech II is also available.

The Sona-Match shows the formant patterns of thespeaker. Two views can be used to enable the clinicianto target desired patterns.

Sibilant training can be accomplished by placing a target(blue outline) of the client’s best production followed bytarget matching while sustaining the desired sibilant (/s/in this display). The red display is the client’s production.

• 500 MHz Pentium III PC • Windows 98SE/ME/2000/XP operating system

• 64 Mbytes RAM • S-VGA graphic adapter and monitor

• CD-ROM • One available, full-size PCI slot

MINIMUM HOST COMPUTER REQUIREMENTS FOR VISI-PITCH IV

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For more information on Visi-Pitch IV, please contact KayPENTAX or your local representative.

World Leaders in Speech, Voice, and Swallowing Instrumentation

KayPENTAXA Division of PENTAX Medical Company

2 Bridgewater LaneLincoln Park, NJ 07035-1488 • USA

Tel: (800) 289-5297 (USA and Canada)(973) 628-6200 • Fax: (973) 628-6363

E-mail: sales@kaypentax.comWeb: www.kaypentax.com

K05M1007

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